Wladyslaw Sila-Nowicki; Lawyer Was Solidarity Adviser

Wladyslaw Sila-Nowicki, 80, a leading Solidarity adviser and longtime anti-communist lawyer who defended many political prisoners. Sentenced to death four times by the Communist government, Sila-Nowicki fought for political freedom, defending opposition activists and Roman Catholic priests prosecuted during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a legal adviser to Solidarity leaders in 1980-81 and helped prepare the statute of this first independent trade union in the former Soviet bloc. He also represented the union in negotiations with Communist authorities. The longtime adviser to Solidarity leader Lech Walesa was also a participant in the talks with the government in early 1989 that led to the toppling of the Communists several months later. In Warsaw on Friday.